The mechanism of thermal eliminations part XXIII: [1] The thermal decomposition of pyruvic acid

The thermal decomposition of pyruvic acid into carbon dioxide and acetaldehyde is a unimolecular first‐order reaction and takes place according to the rate equation, log k = 13.53–41,250/4.575 K. These parameters contrast markedly with those recently reported, viz. log k = 7.19–27,700/4.575 K and confirm that the latter, which gave an unacceptably low value for the frequency factor, are anomalous. The lower reactivity of pyruvic acid compared to oxalic acid is interpreted in terms of normal electronic effects.